We are very happy to report that two more young people from our training center have become members of the Church and have publicly decided to follow Jesus! We are located in a mountain village where many children grow up without parents, as their parents work in large cities. This is the story of Fai and Art.
Fai grew up with her foster grandmother, learning to cook over an open fire, sew by hand, and bathe in a bucket of water. From a young age, she attended our training center, acquiring life skills, shaping her character, and learning about Jesus. Around the age of 12, she began helping younger children at the center. After finishing high school, she moved to the big city to live with her parents and continue her education.
“In the city, everything was completely different,” Fai shared. “I couldn’t go to church and wondered how I could stay close to God. But I saw how He cared for me. He even sent a Christian classmate who invited me to her church. Looking back, I see God’s hand in my life from the very beginning. I want to follow Him and share His love with others.”
We continue our weekly online Bible studies with Fai, Art, and other young believers to support and strengthen them in their faith! Thank you for your prayers!
I’m writing this message under the steady rumble of the generator – there has been no electricity for three days, and although I try not to think about it, hearing the old machine barely drumming away, I sometimes wonder what will burn out first – the freezer, the computer, or the pump. I remember when we lived in a hut, these problems didn’t exist at all – electricity was simply absent by default, and we couldn’t afford a generator (even one as weak as the one we have now). God is good! And I will not take electricity for granted. It is a huge blessing, even if it works intermittently. But I really hope that I will be able to use the oven today: after all, it’s the men’s birthday today! Matthew turned 16 yesterday, and today Eugene is celebrating his birthday. I must note that he’s celebrating it in a hardware store, three hours away from us, buying nails, boards, roofing material, and other supplies for the school we hope to build deep in the jungle, God willing!
We thank the Lord for His protection and mercy towards us, congratulate Eugene and Matthew on their birthdays, and eagerly look forward to many more years together here on earth and in eternity.
I would like to sincerely thank you for standing with me in prayer for the ministry in the refugee camps of South Sudan in northern Uganda. These camps were established in 2013, right after the war broke out in Juba. Hundreds of thousands of people fled to Uganda, and we thank God that they found refuge in this country.
This Christmas season, filled with joy and excitement, I would like you to remember Ebenezer Secondary School in the Bidi-Bidi camp. We opened it in 2017 to meet the educational needs of South Sudanese refugees. The school has 350 students, most of whom are girls. Many of them walk up to 10 kilometers every day, often on an empty stomach. The school does not have a dormitory, and at home, they receive a meager food ration due to a lack of funds to purchase food.
Another important prayer need is that there are 15 teachers and support staff, and the school has been unable to pay salaries or provide incentives for several months. The school is truly facing difficulties and needs resources and intervention.
We teach God’s word and conduct discipleship for the students every Wednesday. The school excels in academics, with students consistently receiving excellent marks in Uganda’s national exams over the last three years. This year, as you celebrate the Christmas season, I would ask you to remember this school in your prayers and speak to friends about the school. It brings me great joy that the word of God is preached, and the students are learning in the classroom. I would like you to support the school.
Recently, two young people decided to follow Jesus and publicly declared their faith through baptism. One of them shared:
“My parents separated when I was little. In my father’s new family, I didn’t feel accepted, so I moved to live with my grandfather, a well-known shaman in our village. New friends invited me to church. I liked studying English and life skills there. I started playing the piano and learned how to pray. When I refused to participate in the family’s pagan ritual, my grandfather said, ‘You can leave and see how you survive without us!’ I was shocked. I cried all night. When I shared my difficulties at church, I was advised to show love to my grandmother and grandfather.
I began to help with the household chores. Over time, my faith grew stronger, and their attitude toward me softened. One day, I told them that I couldn’t accept their rituals, but I deeply loved them. To my surprise, they didn’t get angry and even allowed my sister to go with me to church. God answered my prayers! Now I continue to pray for my family to know God. I believe He has a plan for our family.”
Thank you all for supporting our ministry in Thailand!
Christmas is a time when people’s hearts are open to the Gospel! In our ministry to children, we try to use this time effectively, stocking up on gifts and literature about the birth of the Savior, and people are happy to talk and listen during Christmas Eve.
We plan to give five hundred gifts to children. For many, this is very important because they are deprived of love and care. Last year, we shared the Gospel and gave gifts to children in orphanages. The children are waiting for us, they dress up and prepare a performance for us, and together we celebrate the birth of Jesus.
We also perform a Christmas play with decorations, especially for children in oncology and hospices, where it is very hard for them. They may participate in the Christmas scene for the first and last time. Both children and medical workers receive gifts and Bibles. I remember that last year, when we talked about the meaning of Christmas, there were many children with whom I prayed for Jesus to be born in their hearts. I especially remember the story when a child’s mother, who was in the oncology department, came up to me and said that she had heard the true meaning of Christmas for the first time and wanted to pray too.
We are preparing, and we really need your help, both in prayer and financially. Thank you for always being with us!
Dear friends, beloved brothers and sisters, grace and peace be multiplied to you! This year is more special and inspiring than ever. And, as always, we have dared in our Lord Jesus Christ to do more than before. From December 15-20, we are planning a ministry in Laos; we are printing calendars, brochures, preparing food packages, and providing financial support for the wife of the murdered pastor. We plan to distribute 20 food packages and 30 Christmas gifts.
Laos is one of the countries where Christians are persecuted, and gathering is not easy! Today, the country is ruled by a people’s revolutionary communist-type party. It is very dangerous and difficult to serve there.
In Vietnam, we plan to distribute 30 food packages and 70 Christmas gifts. A food package today costs $20, and a gift is $7. Yesterday, I visited one of our families in the Raglai tribe, and our beloved little girl Sue (the little one) was eating a cupcake so happily and deliciously that she was even ready to eat the wrapper. The children, thank God, are very grateful.
We thank you for your caring and loving hearts in spreading His Word in Southeast Asia. May the Lord bless you abundantly.
